Wednesday, April 19 2006 17:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: India wants restoration of the multi-party democracy with constitutional monarchy in Nepal as it is perhaps the most suitable constitutional apparatus to tackle the situation in that country, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today (Apr 19, 2006).

When power was taken over in Nepal by King Gyanendra "We had made it clear that we wanted constitutional monarchy in the framework of a multi-party democratic system which was introduced in Nepal in 1990. It should be restored in consultation with political parties. All along we have maintained this line," he told a meet-the-press programme the Press Club here.

The Defence Minister said that yesterday at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Political Affairs it was decided to send Karan Singh, Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister, as a special envoy to Nepal to talk to the king and convey our suggestion to him to resolve the crisis.

Karan Singh was going and "I do hope that it will help in resolving the crisis," he said.